What You Should Know About Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP) may seem like an exotic form of surfing, but it actually has historical roots that go way back. Coming initially from Hawaii, it’s considered to be an off-shoot of surfing. As a sport, surfers need to paddle farther than usual or to paddle while standing up.

Paddlers race on ponds, large rivers and waterways, ride breaking waves, and glide over lengthy distances along ocean shorelines, frequently using tail winds to help them navigate the waters. For some reason, stand up paddle boarding is the one sporting activity that has most number of first-time participants. Maybe this is because most of the top 10 iSUPs are cheap to buy, which makes it an affordable recreation activity.

SUP boarders put on a number of wet suits along with other clothing, based on both water and air temperature since much of their time is spent sitting on the board. An associated, traditional sport, paddle boarding, is performed kneeling on the board and paddling using the hands, much like a butterfly swimming stroke.

A number of river-based and seaside cultures, have always had some form of SUP. So, when you come to really think about it, the thought of standing and paddling is does not even sit close to being a new idea.

From the contemporary point of view, however, SUP didn’t fully take off until 2005.

Laird Hamilton and Dork Kalama developed paddle surfing for that modern waters sports world. The very first “modern” surfer to being the sports out of Hawaii and into the United States was Ron Thomas, a sports veteran.

Deb Thomas and Warren Thomas, owner of the California-based SurfingSports.com and Standup Paddle Sports, helped to establish the game and the industry in California. Deb Thomas herself was the very first female standup paddler in the United States in 2005. They introduced the very first SUP boards in the year 2006, and they were the first company to have a devoted SUP store in the United States, which opened in 2007.

Another great thing about this sport is that you can do it anywhere – from home to your vacation in Hong Kong. It is definitely a fun way to spend an afternoon no matter where you are!